Historical Trends in Veteran Community Substance Use Treatment

2000–2019

Bibliographic Data

ID21645779
AuthorsEmily R Edwards (0000-0003-1030-6380, Transitioning Service Member/Veteran and Suicide Prevention Center, VISN 2 MIRECC, James J Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA, corresponding author), Gabriella Epshteyn (0000-0002-9266-7763, Transitioning Service Member/Veteran and Suicide Prevention Center, VISN 2 MIRECC, James J Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA), Ariana Dichiara (0000-0003-1293-5105, Transitioning Service Member/Veteran and Suicide Prevention Center, VISN 2 MIRECC, James J Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA), Shayne Snyder (Transitioning Service Member/Veteran and Suicide Prevention Center, VISN 2 MIRECC, James J Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA), Daniel Gorman (0000-0002-6768-2638, Transitioning Service Member/Veteran and Suicide Prevention Center, VISN 2 MIRECC, James J Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA)
Year2022
Volume57
Issue10
Pages1642-1645
Publication date2022-08-24
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSubstance Use & Misuse (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1082-6084 • E-ISSN: 1532-2491
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10826084.2022.2096235
PMID35819019
OpenAlexW4285077208
LanguageEN
References cited11

Background: Substance use is a significant health crisis for the Veteran population. Prior research has thoroughly examined Veteran substance use within Veterans Health Administration (VHA) settings. However, such data tends to be outdated, and there is minimal research on substance use services delivered outside of VHA systems. This study examines historical patterns of Veteran substance use using a large sample of community-based substance-use treatment admissions. Methods: Data were drawn from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive Treatment Episode Data Set-Admissions. Of the 39,425,886 total admissions between 2000 and 2019, 1,361,339 were of Veterans. Analyses compared Veteran versus non-Veteran admissions on demographics and historical trends in nature of substance-use admissions. Results: Relative to non-Veterans, Veteran admissions were more likely to be prompted by alcohol use. Over time, heterogeneity in substances prompting admissions has increased dramatically for both Veterans and non-Veterans, with particularly notable increases in opiate and stimulant use. Conclusion: Results suggest Veterans admitted to community substance-use treatment are unique relative to their non-Veteran peers. Development and implementation of treatments to target a range of substances while also considering the environmental challenges (e.g., homelessness) commonly faced by this population appear essential to best servicing community-based Veterans

Demographics · Environmental health · Mental health · Population · Psychiatry · Substance abuse · Substance abuse treatment · Substance use · Demography · Medicine · Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research · Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies

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